Intermediate carrier for cane mills



May 9, 1950 P. v. TIPPET INTERMEDIATE CARRIER FOR CANE MILLS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 2, 1944 May 9, 1950 P. v. TlPPET 2,507,067

INTERMEDIATE CARRIER FOR CANE MILLS Filed Dec. 2, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 9, 1950 P. v. TIPPET 2,507,067

INTERMEDIATE CARRIER FOR CANE MILLS Filed Dec. 2, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 950 P. v. TIPPET 2,507,067

INTERMEDIATE CARRIER FOR CANE MILLS Filed Dec. 2, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 i at enteci May 9, 1956 INTERMEDIATE CARRIER FOR CANE MILLS Philip V. Tippet, Ansonia, Conn, assignor to Farrel-Birmingham Company,

Incorporated,

Ansonia, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 2, 1944, Serial No. 566,343 9 Claims. (01. 100-473 This invention relates to intermediate carriers for cane mills, in other words, to carriers or conveyors such as used between a three-roller mill and the following three-roller mill of the cane grinding installation. Such a carrier receives the pressed juicy cane mass stripped off from the top roll and bagasse roll of a mill, and carries it to the point where it feeds into the rolls of the next unit.

One of the objects of the invention is to furnish a carrier which operates very effectively as a conveying means, and which can be placed into and removed from its operative position in the installation with great celerity and convenience.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a cane grinding installation in which an intermediate carrier embodying the invention is employed, certain parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively sections on lines 33 and 4-4 of Fig. 2, the apron being shown somewhat diagrammatically;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the carrier showing the same dismounted, the Conveyor apron being shown diagrammatically;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the carrier with parts broken away and the apron omitted, looking from the left of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the coupling between parts of the drive shaft for the apron;

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view showing the form of connection between the side walls of the carrier and the discharge cheek plates of the mill supplying cane to the conveyor element; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary plan view showing a connection used at the discharge end of the carrier.

In the drawings there is illustrated a typical cane mill installation in which a carrier embodying the invention is used, that is to say, an installation in which a carrier is interposed between two three-roller mills of a tandem so as to carry the cane mass from the discharge portion of one mill to the feeding-in portion of the next following mill. It may be assumed that the three-roller mills are of the usual type, or any preferred type, and it may be assumed that the two mills shown in the drawings are any two mills of a grinding installation. The first mill is indicated at A, and of its rolls only the top roll B and the bagasse roll C are disclosed. The second mill, indicated at D, has the cane roll 2 or feed roll E and the top roll F. Associated with the discharge portion of mill A are cheek plates and scrapers, hereinafter mentioned, and the problem is to carry the cane from this discharge in a generally forward and upward direction and discharge it by gravity between the rolls E and F of the second mill. For this purpose an intermediat carrier, indicated generally at G, is employed.

In the form shown here the carrier G comprises a frame including side plates that are inclined upwardly and forwardly and serve as a guide for the moving cane mass, the frame having in the lower part thereof a conveyor in the form of an endless apron. This apron is mounted upon sprocket wheels carried by rotary shafts which have suitable bearings in the frame. These shafts include a so-called tail shaft at the receiving end, and adjacent the discharge end a head shaft and nose shaft, as hereinafter described. Drive of the apron is secured by rotating the head shaft. The side plates are of such depth that they not only guide the cane mass traveling on th upper run of the apron, but extend along and enclose portions of the apron moving around the head shaft and tail shaft. In the form shown, the side plates are indicated at 20, and these plates are of substantially identical construction, the two plates being provided adjacent .their lower edges with externally applied reinforcing channel members 24. These channel members are part of a frame in which are provided suitable bearings for the tail shaft 22, the head shaft 23 and the nose shaft 24. The frame in which the shafts 22, 23 and 24 are journaled also includes suitable cross members interconnecting the side plates and tying them together. In the form. shown the side plates are tied together at their lower parts by reinforcing bars 26 and 21 arranged in X formation, these bars being located adjacent the lower upwardly inclined edges of the side plates. Above the bars 26 and 2'! and in the space between the tail shaft and the head shaft are cross members such as the cross beams 28, 29 and 35, which cross beams serve as structural members of the carrier frame, and also as elements which support and guide the upper run of the apron 3|. The cross beams just mentioned serve to support from beneath a number of longitudinally disposed guide elements 32, which in turn support from beneath a number of endless chain elements 33 which are a part of the apron structure and which engage the sprockets with which the shafts 22, 23 and 24 are provided. In the form shown each of the shafts 22, 23 and 24 is provided adjacent each end with two sprockets located side by side, and is also provided adjacent the middle of the shaft with two sprockets arranged side by side, as shown in Fig. 6; and for cooperation with these sprockets the carrier frame is equipped with three longitudinal elements 32. It is preferred to construct the apron of metal chains to which are riveted doublebeaded cross slats 33, but the particular construction adopted in this respect is not important so far as the present invention is concerned. It is understood, however, that the slats are of a length to extend at their ends into close proximity to the side plates 29. It will also be noted that, as shown in r 'g. 2, the apron has an upper run which is inclined from the tail shaft to the head shaft, that after reaching the head shaft the slats have a short run in a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction for feeding the cane into the bite of the second mill, and that after passing over the nose shaft the slats move rearwardly toward the tail shaft.

For driving the nose shaft from the head shaft, these shafts are provided with sprockets 23 and 24 over which travels a drive chain 23 The bearings for the shafts 22, 23 and 21! are indicated respectively at 22, 23' and 27 Each bearing 22' is adjustable in a longitudinal direction by a screw 34, and each bearing 24 is adjustable by a screw 35.

The form of one of the side plates 29 is shown in Fig. 5, and it will be noted that in general the side plate has vertically arranged edge portions at the ends and upwardly and forwardly inclined upper and lower edge portions extending throughout the greater part of the length of the plate, the lower inclined edge portion having associated therewith the channel 2!, previously mentioned. The upper inclined edge portion has associated therewith an angle bar 36, the same being applied to the outer side surface of the plate, as by welding, the upper flange of the angle bar preferabl being flush with the upper edge of the side plate. Applied to the upper edge portions of the side wall structure thus constructed are suitable perforated members or lugs such as indicated at 36, whereby there are provided suspension eyes adapted to have a chain or chains connected thereto for suspending the carrier unit. These suspending eye members may have the arrangement and location shown in Fig. 5, but this is merely by way of example.

Associated with the left-hand end of the side plate (Fig. 5) is an angle bar 31' applied externally to the side plate along its vertical edge so that the flange of the angle bar is flush with the lefthand edge of the plate. This angle bar 31 serves for making a connection described later on. Also applied to the side plate at the exterior and in a location near the upper edge of the plate is a bracket member 38, generally in the form of an angle having a flange 33 secured to the plate in a suitable manner as by welding, and having another flange 38 disposed transversely to the carrier structure and spaced laterall away from the side plate structure, the two flange portions 38f and 38" being interconnected by a' slanting portion 38". There is thus provided a laterally extending bracket at the upper part of the carrier whereby the carrier can be fastened to an adjacent part, as hereinafter described.

"At the lower part of the side plate at its lefthand side (Fig. 5) there is provided a downwardly projecting bracket 39, the same being located 4 beneath the bearing 22' of shaft 22. The bracket 39 has as a part thereof at its upper portion a flange-like element 40 upon which the bearing 22 is supported, and the bracket has a vertical portion received in a cut-away part of the channel 2! and suitably fastened to the side plate structure at the exterior, as by welding. Extending laterally from bracket 39 at the lower part is a flange 4i and extending downwardly from flange 4| is an attaching flange 42.

Now referring to the right-hand end of the side plate (Fig. 5), it will be seen that the plate in this location is provided with a substantially vertical edge portion 43 at the upper part, and that below this edge portion it is cut away or recessed, as indicated at 44, in a manner to permit the edge portion 43 to overlie to an extent the top roll of mill D. The plate 20 also has a vertical series of perforations 45 serving for the connection to the plate of an auxiliar plate 46 located at the inner face of plate 20. The plate 23 is also provided adjacent the upper corner with an out-. standing perforated boss 4? disposed at the exterior, and a similar boss 48 is provided at the. exterior at the lower portion of the plate. About tersunk holes 52 adapted to receive the heads of.

bolts 53 attaching the auxiliary plate to the main plate in the manner shown in Fig. 10. The nuts 54 of the bolts 53 are located at the exterior of' the side plate or main plate. The construction is such (Fig. 10) that cane passing upwardly be.- tween the side plates of the carrier will encounter no obstruction when it passes into the space be tween the auxiliary plates or cheek plates 46.

Before describing further the manner of connecting the carrier to its adjacent parts, it may be said that the discharging portion of the mill A is a typical structure such as used in the art,

including vertical cheek plates 55 supported on the housings of mill A and spaced apart laterally to provide a dischargethroat for the cane. An upper scraper 56 of the usual or an preferred structure cooperates with the grooved surface of upper roll B, and a lower scraper 5! of the usual or any preferred structure cooperates with the grooved bagasse roll C.

In installing the carrier, the same is suspended by suspension chains and let down into position between the mills. 'The portions 50 of brackets 49 engage and are supported upon horizontal surfaces 58 upon portions of the side frames or 1101157 ings of mill D, and by the use of bolts 59 these brackets are bolted to the housings. At the op-,

nected to the housings of mill A by having their attaching flanges 42 connected by bolts 6 to the inner faces of the respective mill housings. The auxiliary plates 46 at the right-hand end'ofthe carrier (Fig. 2) are placed in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the right-hand edges of these plates (Fig. 2) engaged in end grooves of roll F, and with a portion of each plate 46..eX-. tending under roll F to a certain degree. The plates 46 are fastened in place by the provisions previously described. The fastening sleeves 41 and 48 are engaged by long bolts El and 62, the heads of which are located in countersinks in the side wall structure of the carrier, and the threaded shanks of which are engaged. in

threaded sockets at the inner faces of the housings of mill D.

The brackets 38 previously described have their vertical flanges 38" engaged with vertical faces 63 upon the housings of mill A, and these flanges are fixed in place by means such as bolts 64. The vertical angle bars 31 previously described are in spaced relation to similar angle bars 65 (Fig. 9) applied to the outer sides of the cheeks 55, and suitable fillers such as strips 66 of wood or similar material are interposed between the opposing flanges of the angle bars, these flanges then being interconnected by means such as bolts 61.

The head shaft 23 of the carrier can be driven advantageously by connections from the shaft of the cane roll E. This shaft is shown at 68 in Fig. 1, and it will be noted that the drive is at the side of the mill remote from the mill driving gears. Shaft 68 carries a sprocket 65 which drives a chain 10 running over a sprocket H on a stub shaft 12 that is in line with the head shaft of the carrier. The sprocket H can be clutched to the shaft 12 by a friction clutch H The stub shaft 12 is mounted from the adjacent housing of mill D by means of a bracket 13 having bearings 14 and '15 for shaft i2 and provided with a vertical flange 16 attached by bolts TI to a vertical face 18 of the mill housing. The bracket 13 is also provided with a horizontal flange l9 fastened by bolts 80 to a horizontal face 8| on the mill housing. The adjacent ends of the shafts 23 and 12 are interconnected by a suitable coupling device of the quick-detachable type, and in the form shown shaft 23 has applied to its end a disk-like member 82 provided with a flat face opposing a similar face on a disklike member 83 fastened to the end of shaft 12. The members 82 and 83 are provided in their opposing face portions with diametrical grooves 84 and 85, respectively, in which a locking bar 86 can be placed in the relation shown in Fig. 8. Bar 86 can be held in looking position by a screw 81 adapted to turn in a bore in one of the coupling members and having a threaded shank engaging a threaded socket 88 in the locking bar.

When the carrier is lowered into place in the manner previously mentioned, the driving stub shaft 12 will advantageously have been installed.

The coupling member 82 of the carrier will be lowered into position adjacent the coupling member of the stub shaft. One or the other of the shafts will then be turned to bring the grooves 84 and 85 into register with each other. The locking bar is then inserted to complete the coupling together of the shafts. This, of course, provides a very quick and easy method of assembly.

It is believed that the operation of the mill will be clear from the previous description. Usually the carrier when placed between the adjacent mills has the lower run of its conveyor apron engaged with one or more idlers 89 mounted upon mill D so as to tension the apron to a certain degree. Further adjustment can, of course, be effected by shifting the shafts 22 and 24 through the provisions previously described. In the preferred construction the bearings 23' of the head shaft are preferably constructed to provide channelled outer members 94 open at their lower ends, into which bearing blocks 9| (Fig. 5) can be introduced from beneath, in other words, from the lower edge of the carrier, and then fastened in place by means such as fastening bolts 92. This, of course, pro- 6 vides ready detachment of the head shaft when desired, the same being movable out of the carrier frame in a downward direction, the disassembling movement being assisted by gravity.

It will be apparent that during the operation of mill D the apron or conveyor will be driven in the proper direction to carry the cane from mill A in an upward and forward direction, and then at the proper point move it downwardly into the bite of rolls E and F.

In the operation of the carrier it is of distinct advantage to have the shafts over which the apron is trained mounted in a frame which is common to them all and which provides the necessary rigidity, as in this case. Among other things, there is much less tendency for the shafts to get out of parallelism, and thereby cause binding of the apron. The frame in which the apron shafts operate is very strongly reinforced by using the construction previously described.

It is well known that in grinding sugar cane, grinding time should not be lost or wasted at the time the crop is coming into the mill for grinding, because of the deterioration which takes place in the cane as soon as it is cut. In this connection the use of an installation such as described in this case is of great advantage, one reason being that in the event that the carrier ceases to function in a satisfactory manner, and the trouble cannot be remedied immediately, the carrier can be removed from the mill for the substitution of a spare carrier. From th previous description it will be apparent that the removal of the carrier and the substitution of a spare can be performed very easily and quickly. Another advantage of the invention arises from the fact that if one or the other of the associated mills has a breakdown or stoppage caused, for example, by a piece of tramp iron getting in between the rolls, requiring complete access to the rolls (and more particularly the lower rolls), this access can easily and quickly be obtained by detaching the carrier ends from the associated members and lifting the carrier upwardly to the extent required. This will permit easier access to the horizontally movable bearings of the bagasse roll of the precedin mill and the horizontally movable bearings of the cane roll of the succeeding mill, and if necessary such a roll can be removed from its housing, there being ample access to it for this purpose.

A serious drawback of previous installations has arisen from the fact that the apron shafts and other parts have been independently mounted on the mill housings. This was likely to cause serious defects in the operation of the carrier, and in the event of a breakdown of the carrier individual elements of the latter had to be removed separately, that is, one by one, which was a time-consuming process. Where there was a stoppage of one of the mills with which the carrier was associated, the removal of the carrier parts for the purpose of obtaining the proper ac cess to the roll or mill was very time-consuming, and as a result the loss caused by deterioration of the waiting cane was very considerable. These troubles and difficulties are overcome where the installation is organized and constructed in the manner herein described.

While only a single embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, it is to be understood that the invention can be embodied in many different forms, and that many modifications and changes of the described structure may be adopted without departing from the princi I ples of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

.1. In a cane mill, the combination of three roller mills in tandem formation, each having housings at the sides, a carrier comprising a frame set in between said mills and supported on said housings and also comprising a carrier apron in the lower part of the frame and shafts journaled in said frame constituting a complete mounting for the apron, said shafts including a tail shaft adjacent the fceding-in end of thecarrier and a head shaft adjacent the discharge end, said .head shaft being extended laterally beyond the :carrier, and means connected-to the extended end of the head shaft for driving the same, said last-named means including a stub shaftdetachably connected to the head shaft, said stub shaft being mounted on the adjacent mill housing in line with the head shaft, and the carrier being liftable out of place without 'dismounting the stub shaft.

2. In a cane mill, the combination of threeroller mills in tandem formation, each having housings at the sides, a carrier comprising a frame set in between said mills and supported on said housings and also comprising a carrier apronzin the lower part of said frame and shafts journaled in said frame constituting a complete mounting for the apron, one of said shafts being extended laterally from the carrier, aestub shaft on one of the mill housings in line with said lastnamed shaft, means for drivingsaid stub shaft, and detachable coupling means between the ,adjacent ends of the extended shaft and thestub shaft, said coupling means including members carried respectively by the extended shaft and stub shaft, said coupling members being adapted to be brought into cooperation 'as'the carrierzis lowered into place on the mill housings.

3. In a cane mill, the combination of threeroller mills in tandem formation, each having housings at the sides, a carrier comprising a frame set in between said mills and supported on said housings and also comprising a carrier apron in the lower part of said frame and shafts journaled in said frame constituting a complete mounting for the apron, one-of said shafts being extended laterally from the carrier, .a stub shaft on one of the mill housings inline with said lastnamed shaft, means for driving'said stub shaft, and detachable coupling means between the adjacent ends of the extended shaft and the stub shaft, said coupling vmeans including members carried respectively by the extended shaft and stub-shaft, said coupling members being adapted to be brought into'cooperationas the carrier is loweredinto place on the mill housings, the carrierincluding in its structure upright side walls detachably connected to the discharge throat of the preceding mill and extended at the opposite end of the carrier into cooperation with the receiving throat of the, succeeding mill, the, apron shaft which is driven from the stub shaft being mounted in the carrierframeso that it is removable frcrn said frame in a downward direction.

e. In a cane mill, the combination of threeroller mills in tandemformation, each, having .a top roll, a cane roll and-a bagasse roll and also having housings at the sides, a carrier frame includingparailel side plates set in between the mills and supported on the mill housings and extending in a forward and upward direction from the discharge throat of the preceding mill to the'feeding-in portion of the succeeding mill, meansfor connecting said side walls detachably to the discharge throat of the preceding mill. means for detachably securing said side walls to the succeedin mill adjacent the receiving throat thereof, transverse shafts journaled between said side plates adjacent the lower parts thereof including a tail shaft adjacent the feeding-in end of the carrier and a head shaft and nose shaft adjacent the discharge end, an apron supported upon and traveling around said shafts, and a driving member supported upon a housing of the succeeding mill and having detachable connection to said head shaft, the detachable connection between the head shaft and the driving member including a detachable coupling having a member carried by the head shaft and a member carried by the driving member, said coupling members being brought into cooperative relationship as the carrier is lowered into place on the mill housings.

'5. In a cane mill, the combination of threeroller mills in tandem formation, each having housings at the sides, a carrier comprising a frame set in between said mills and supported on said housings-and also comprising a carrierapron and shafts journalled in said frame constituting a complete mounting for the apron, one of said shafts being set in bearing mountings that are open at the under part of said frame so that said shaft is removabie in a downward direction, said shaft serving as a head shaft and being extended laterally from the frame at one side, astub shaft mounted on one of the housings and in line with said head shaft extension, and a detachable coupling member having elements mounted respectively on the adjacent ends of the head shaft and stub shaft.

6. In a cane mill, the combination of threeroller mills in tandem formation, each having housings at the sides, a carrier comprising a frame set in between said mills and supported on said housings and also comprising a carrier apron in the lower part of the frame and shafts ,iournalled in said frame constituting a complete mounting for the apron, said shafts including a tail shaft, a nose shaft, and a head shaft, the head iaft being extended laterally from the frame at oneside and overlying a portion of one of the housings, a stub shaft mounted on said housing portion in line with said head shaft, 9. etachable couplin between the adjacent ends of the head shaft and'stub shaft, and means for driving the stub shaft, the carrier being liftable out of place upon disconnection of said coupling without disturbing the mounting of the stub shaft.

'1. In a cane mill, a carrier of unit type comprising a frame and a carrier apron in the lower part of the frame and also comprising shafts including a nose shaft and a head shaft journalled in the frame constituting a complete mounting for the apron, the head shaft being extended laterally from the carrier and carrying a coupling member, said frame including side plates arranged at a forward and upward inclination, said side plates having at their forward parts cutaway lower portions and associated with said cut-away lower portions lapped detachable cheek plates the lower parts of which are adapted to extend under the top ,roll of the succeeding mill, said frame being provided rearwardly of said cutaway portions with lateral brackets for supporting it on the housings of the succeeding mill, said frame being provided with supporting housingengaging bracketsat its lower rear portion and carrying at points above said last-mentioned brackets generally vertically disposed brackets for connection to vertical faces upon the housings of the preceding mill.

8. A cane mill intermediate carrier of unit type, comprising a frame adapted to be set in between adjacent mills and supported on their housings, and also comprising a carrier apron in the lower part of the frame and shafts journalled in said frame constitutin a complete mounting for the apron, one of said shafts being adjacent the discharge end of the carrier, said last-named shaft being set in bearing mountings that are open at the under part of said frame so that said shaft is removable from the frame in a downward direction whereby its disassembly movement is assisted by gravity.

9. In a cane mill, the combination of threeroller mills in tandem formation, each having housings at the sides, a carrier comprising a, rame set in between said mills and supported on said housings and also comprising a carrier apron and shafts journaled in said frame constituting a complete mounting for the apron, said shafts including a driving shaft for the apron adjacent REFER-ENGES CITED The following references file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS of record in the Number Name Date 787,101 Lorenz Apr. 11, 1905 1,170,619 Ewart Feb. 8, 1916 1,204,314 Ramsay Nov. 7, 1916 1,401,095 Meinecke Dec. 20, 1921 1,792,502 Maxwell Feb. 1'7, 1931 1,794,491 Robbins Mar. 3, 1931 

